Social validity assessment of instructional approaches for parents of children who require augmentative and alternative communication : a scoping review

Abstract

Training parents to support augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) implementation for children with severe communication disabilities is a critical component of family-centered intervention. Social validity ensures that training goals, procedures, and outcomes are acceptable and meaningful to stakeholders and is essential for achieving sustainable, long-term improvements. The findings indicate an increasing emphasis on social validity assessments since 2020. This review examined social validity assessment practices in parent-implemented AAC intervention training. Three theoretical and four practical components of social validity assessments were analyzed across 30 records reporting on 28 studies. Results demonstrate increased attention to social validity assessment since 2020. However, significant conceptual and methodological limitations persist. Theoretical frameworks underlying social validity assessments are frequently poorly conceptualized, with only half of the authors providing a clear rationale for their assessments. Definitions lack coherence across studies. Maintenance data and stakeholder perceptions were collected, and perspectives were predominantly gathered post-intervention and primarily from parents rather than children. These findings reveal shortcomings in current social validity assessment approaches. Therefore, rigorous theoretical grounding and methodological sophistication are needed to ensure social validity assessment transcends tokenistic inclusion, thus becoming a purposeful and integral component of intervention research.